FOOTBALL: Mariner still keen on Patterson

The Coleraine striker spent three days training with the club two weeks ago, but he played down suggestions of a move.

The Glens cleverly stole a march on other interested clubs by agreeing their deal with Patterson before the end of January — and just a couple of weeks after he entered the last six months of his one-year contract at Coleraine.

His trip to Plymouth caused a storm at the Oval with chairman Aubry Ralph angry that he wasn't informed about it and now Mariner — who has never denied that Patterson is a player he likes — could again stoke the fire in east Belfast by making a move for the Northern Ireland striker.

Glentoran are understood to be ready to listen if a reasonable offer is put to them for Patterson, but they won't let him join another club for nothing, even though he's not scheduled to move for another two months.

Coleraine boss David Platt told a Belfast newspaper: "Rory has six league games and an Irish Cup quarter-final left with Coleraine and both he and us will want to make that more," said Coleraine manager David Platt.

"He's been good for us and I like to think we've been good for him."